When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle."
~Edmund Burke
***
The guards waited until the Queen's heels no longer echoed before daring to breathe, much less move. Ravenna was still in the wake of panic and dread when they dragged her to the final steps to the chamber door.
The air inside was thick with the scent of roasted meats, sweat, and sweet wine gone stale as tapestries lined the walls, each depicting the Kingdom's history, victories, and mostly King Aldren's glory, as they walked in.
Pillars framed the space of the chambers in its gaudy and vast appearance, as a large oaken desk sat beneath an iron chandelier choked with half-melted candles. Behind the desk, pacing with a goblet in hand, stood the King in his usual royal tunic strained by the bloat of his belly that spilled out of his belt.
